Oligonucleotide Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (oaCGH) Based Characterization of Genetic Deficiencies as an Aid to Gene Mapping in Caenorhabditis Elegans

Background: A collection of genetic deficiencies covering over 70% of the Caenorhabditis elegansgenome exists, however the application of these valuable biological tools has been limited due tothe incomplete correlation between their genetic and physical characterization.Results: We have applied oligonucleotide array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (oaCGH) tothe high resolution, molecular characterization of several genetic deficiency and duplication strainsin a 5 Mb region of Chromosome III. We incorporate this data into a physical deficiency map whichis subsequently used to direct the positional cloning of essential genes within the region. From thisanalysis we are able to quickly determine the molecular identity of several previously unidentifiedmutations.Conclusion: We have applied accurate, high resolution molecular analysis to the characterizationof genetic mapping tools in Caenorhabditis elegans. Consequently we have generated a valuablephysical mapping resource, which we have demonstrated can aid in the rapid molecularidentification of mutations of interest.